Energy



'July 3 1, 1945- Efw. BoERsTLr-:R v2380,68?

I APPARATUS FOR APPLYING RADIANT ENERGY Filed April 14, 1941 2 Sheets-Shed*l 2 Patented July 3l, 1945 1 UNITED STAT-Es PA'IVENTv OFI-fici?.

2,380,682 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING RADIANT ENERGY item1-c1 w. nomtler, Watertown, um. 'Application .anni 14, 1941. serial No. asesor somma. icl. sst-101)' This invention relates toy the generation and application of radiant energy of solar or super-l solar intensity. My main objectives are: first, a beam including both the visible and ultra-violet radiations from which the objectionable heat or long wave infra-red. radiations have been removed; second, a beam of pure visible radiations from which the ultra-violet as well as the short wave infra-red radiations have been removed;

third, the ltering of the heaty from the gener- '10 ated beam without a forced circulation water sys- `tem; and. fourth, the delivery of the ltered radiations to the objective regardless of its tire width of thefgenenated beam. This cell is mounted in close juxtaposition to the generator,

and, preferably, is supported by the same means Y extending angularly above the level of the liquid 15 in the completely lled cell at a point outside of the path of the radiations. To assure that the liquid will at all times completely flll the cell angular position.

The therapeutic value of the combined ultraviolet and visible radiations is well known. How- 4 ever, there are cases where prolonged use of the ultra-violet may cause irritation, in which cases treatment with the visible radiations alone may be prontably continued as pure visible radiation has deiinite physiological value.

Such visible radiations vare sometimes known as cold light, and are of value in the -proiection of motion pictures and television. both vof which arts require great intensities of light with a minimum of heat, as well as in commercial displays where the articles or materials are injured by heat.

'l'he conventional generator of high vradiant 80 culated but it must be water-clear so as to transenergy is cooled by water under forced circula- `tion'. Water. as is-well known, is an excellent filter for heat as well as an excellentft'ransmitter of thevisible and ultra-violet However, `because or its -low boiling point and the extreme intensity ofthe radiations, it has been considered impossible tofuse non-circulating water iti close proximity to the generatbr; and it has therefore been'thepractice to employ forced circulation which involved expe'xisiv'ca-A acoessory coolingrapparatus, such as radiatora'fans andpumps. l My present 'invention contemplates "use 2'0 in the regardless of the angle at which it is held. the surface level of the filtering liquid is maintained expansion chamber ata point above the top of the' filter cell. This expansion chamber is vented and may likewise constitute the Alling opening of the cell.

For the meer 1 may use a liquid which has a 25 substantially higher boiling point than water,

to the generatorin order te have a compact and small apparatus. vSuch a liquid need not be -cir'- mit the visible as well as the ultra-violet portion as filter mediums not only of liquids nigh boiling points that 'they may-be closely adjacent the generator, but use of water without forced circulation or other` ac.- cessory cooling even when as much as three gram' calories per square centimeter per minute of energy is applied without a temperature rise in the water above 140 F. i'n continuous operation.- My lter materials are contained in a novel nlter cell which forms part of my Present invention. This is a substantially ilat cellular body 'of the Spectrum-while being capable also of removing the unwanted long wave infra-red heat rays from the generated beam. It must be of 35 low volatility in the presence of the intense heat to which'it is subjected so as not to give oif inammablvapors., and must not evaporate too Quickly.

4mamples above requirementsare liquids of the class of v-gly'ceroliCaHdOHh) with a boiling. point oi)l amiroxima'tely.i554"Y- F., and ethylene ^glycol a (HOCHzCHzOH) n with a boiling point of 386.8' F. However. other liquids of relatively high boiling point whichv have the required spectraltransmission and ray iilt'ering qualities may be used, vparticularly those exhibiting an hydrocarbon radical in combination with one or more'hydroxyl groups.

The depth of the lter liquid will depend -somewhat upon the nature of the liquid used. In general, a depth of 3 cm. has been found satisfactory for most uses. f

of suiiicient extent to span substantially the enesV Ihe above named iilter mediums will remove 'of-mms which admirably fuinn the require.

from a high energy radiation of full spectral range substantially all of the undesirable long wave infra-red radiations of wave lengths of approximately from 1200 A. to 40,000 A., and will transmit without substantialdiminution of their intensity the ultra-violet radiations of wave otherwise be the case, for although the visible portion only of the spectrum is being transmitted, nevertheless. such rays, if suillciently intense or sumcently long continued, can produce an unbearable sensation of heat.

'By properly relating the thickness oi' the solid Vfilter unit to the depth of liquid in the nlter cell,

substantially all of both the infra-red and ultraviolet rays may be removed from the beam, while as high as 92% of the vgenerated visible rays may be delivered to the patient. For example, I have successfullyltered from the generated beam substantially all of the long-wave infra-red with a liquid filter of three centimeters depth, and have removed from such illtered beam the short-wave Ainfra red and the ultraviolet with a plastic filter of ilve inches thick- IleSS.

of visible rays to the patient or other objective.

Preferably I provide this second filter as an attachment capable of use with a generator a1- ready equipped with the liquid filter described above.

This second lter may conveniently be a solid, and I have used successfully a transparent organic plastic, such as methyl methacrylate or an equivalent polymerized synthetic `resin of acrylic type.. Lucite is lan example of such material, but other light transmitting resins which have the aforesaid illtering and transmitting properties may be used, as for example, urea formaldehyde, cellulose acetate, or cellulose nitrate.

structurally, such solid filter unit is substantially coextensive with the liquid filter cell. .Its depth may vary, however, as conditions may Where additional ltering action as to infra-red rays only is required, such solid unit may be relatively thin, say approximately only three inches. Where complete or substantially complete removal of the ultra-violet is also wanted, it may be as deep as ve inches.

' While the specific examples of ultra-violet and short-wave infra-red lters which I have named have been solids, it will be understood that any equivalent liquid lter contained within a light-transparent lter cell will be equally satisfactory.

By interposing the liquid filter unit for the A heat rays between the solid filter unit for the ultra-violet and the generator, disintegration of the acrylic resin under the intense generated heat is prevented, for by the time the beam reaches the acrylic resin substantially all of the long wave infra-red radiations will have been removed by the liquid filter.

One-advantage of this is that e solid nlter l remains at substantially atmospheric' empera- As indicated above, my invention also con-V templates the use of water as a' filter for the long-wave Ainfra-red radiations, andv includes means for maintaining such water in circulation l without the expensive complicated forced- ^circulation yapparatus now on the market. When it is desired to use water as the illter, I provide a reservoir for the filter water by extending the expansion chamber which communicates with the filter cell and into which the filter liquid rises, to completely or substantially sur" the water in the filter cell. Preferably. this reture even during long treatment periods despite the fact that the liquid filtering medium soon reachessuch a high temperature as to preclude direct application oi' the filter cellto a patients body in clinical treatments, or 'in proximity to the itarget in industrial uses.

Where the solid illter isused, the applicating end thereof may be applied o n the treatment area without discomfort tothe patient, and under suilicient pressure to secure substantial dehematisation of the ileld, thus permitting deeper penetration of the radiations into. subcutaneous tissue.f

.Another-advantage is that because the solid filter Iactsl as arefrigerant on the sensory nerves, a higher intensity of radiation may be comfortably applied to -the patient than would 'the filter cell under heat.

servoir is made of heat-radiating material such as copper or aluminum, and is connected to the 'filter cell by lengths of rubber or metal tubing which takes care of the dierences in expansion of the metal of the reservoir and the glass of Although my water-'filled illter 'cell is mounted close to the generator, the constant circulation of the water in the reservoir maintains a temperature of approximately 129 F. for long periods of time. points as water may be used substantially as effectively as the liquids of .higher boiling points. it being only necessary to provide a reservoir for a suilicient body of water to carry the heat currents up over the heat radiating surface of the reservoir so that much of the generated heat is given on into the air. I

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation. partly in section, of a generator of high radiant energy vof conventional type equipped with a liquid filter unit in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the filter unit. Fig. 3 is a spectrograph showing by curve line I A the filtering action onthe generated beam when glycerol is used as the liquid filtering medium, and by curve line B the action when ethylene glycol is used. s v

mg. 4 is a viewfsimnar to ma. 1 but showing asolid nlter unit attached to the generator' beyond the liquid filter unito Fig. 5 isa view simuarto ng. s but snowing by curve line C the filtering action on the beam 0f the combined lters illustrated in F18. 4.

Fig. 6 is a modified filter unit combined with a generator as shown in Figa 1 and 4,KA

Itis. 7 is a top plan view of the nlter unit,

'Iherefore liquids of low boiling Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective of the reservoir, and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 5 but showing by curve line D the filtering action on the Vbeam when water is used as the filtering medium.

I have indicated generally at I0, Figs. l, 4 and 6, a generator of high radiant energy. This is shown as a superheated tungsten filament lamp, but other conventional generators as the carbon arc or mercury vapor lamp may be employed. I prefer the tungsten filament lamp however because its spectrum is more nearly continuous in the ultra-violet and visible regions.

Such lamp includes a tungsten filament I2 within the usual glass envelope II. 'The socket I3 connects the lamp into an electric circuit. As shown, the socket is swivelly connected as at I4 to the support S. Preferably the glass envelope II is coated with suitable reflecting material I5 to direct all the generated rays downwardly, but if desired an external reflector may be substituted.

The generator I0 may be provided with a housing I 6 having spring members I6 to attach to the housing my novel filter unit for removing from the beam the long-wave infra-red rays. This filter includes a substantially flat cell Il disposed across the open mouth of the housing at right angles to the path of the generated beam, and provided, preferably at one side of the housing I6 outside of the path of the beam, with an angularly upwardly extending portion constituting an expansion chamber I8 which is closed by a detachable cap I9 having a vent opening 20 therein. The expansion chamber may be molded integrally with the cell, the walls of the cell being extended upwardly and outwardly to form the expansion chamber.

The cell I'I is of a size substantially to span the entire width of the beam and of a depth to contain a suflicient volume of liquid, for example 3v cm. to remove from the beam the long wave infra-red rays.

The cell I1 is made ofv transparent or waterclear material of high heat resistance, as borosilicate glass, and is preferably filled with a high boiling point liquid 2l, such as glycerol or ethylene glycol.

Outwardly of the cell Il, I dispose a second filter 23 for removing from the beam the ultraviolet and remaining infra-red rays. Where desired, I may extend the housing I6 beyond the cell Il as at 22 and provide it with means 22 to grip the filter 23 which preferably is a solid body. The solid may be an organic plastic, as methyl methacrylate, or Lucite, or equivalent acrylic resin. It is of a size to span substantially the full beam passing through the cell I1 and of suitable thickness to remove the unwanted rays from the beam without materially impeding the passage of the visible portion ofv the spectrum therethrough. As indicated above, the thickness of this plastic filter may vary from three to five inches depending on whether it is desired to filter only the short-wave infra red rays from the beam, or also to iilter the ultraviolet.

The ltering eiiects secured by the devices shown in Figs. 1 to 4 are graphically illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5. l

Referring to Fig. 3, that portion of the spectrum generally removed by the liquid filter Il is represented by curve A when the liquid is glycerol, and by curve B when it is ethylene glycol.

As indicated above, my invention also provides for water as the iiltering medium for the longwave infra-red radiations, and includes means for maintaining such water in constant circulation during use so as to dissipate much of the generated heat removed from the beam by the iilter water withoutthe expensive and complicated forced-circulation apparatus now employed for this purpose.-

Suitable means for this purpose are illustrated in Figs. 6-9. I provide a reservoir 25 for the filter water by. extending the expansion chambers I8-I8a which communicate with the filter cell Il shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and into Which the filter liquid rises, to form a Water jacket completely surrounding the generator, and which is suitably vented as at 26.

While my invention includes a reservoir molded integrally with the lter cell from suitable material, nevertheless in view of the diiculty and expense connected with the production of such a vessel, and also because of the greater heat reflecting properties of metals such as copper or aluminum, I preferably form the filter cell Il and reservoir 25 as separate members and connect these through the chambers I8I8a of Fig. 7 by means of pieces of rubber or metal tubing 2l of suitable size. This tubing satisfactorily takes care of the differences in expansion and contraction of the glass of the filter I1 and metal of the reservoir 25.

The reservoir 25 is maintained nearly full of water, allowing only room for normal expansion under heat, and this water is kept in circulation by convection currents generated by the heat removed from the beam of radiations by the water in the filter cell.

Preferably the reservoir 25 is made of heatradiating material as copper or aluminum, and the constant circulation of the Water over the surfaces of the reservoir maintains the temperature of the Water at approximately 129 F. for long periods of time. Thus, according to my invention, liquids of relatively low boiling points, as Water, may be used substantially as effectively as the liquids of higher boiling points, the difference being only that in the case of water the filter cell must communicate with a reservoir for a suiiicient body of liquid to carry off the objectionable heat currents.

By the simple means above described, I am able to administer both ultra-violet and visible radiations at any angle desired and also to avoid any necessity for the expensive auxiliary water cooling systems which have represented by far the greater part of the prohibitively high cost of the machines now commercially available.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters ,Patent is:

l. A filter system for use with an incandescent lamp projecting a beam of solar or super-solar intensity, comprising a pair of filters which are substantially coextensive in area, and means for supporting said filters in operative relation to the lamp and in positions substantially parallel to each other and substantially at right angles to the axis of the beam, one of said filters consisting of a body of methyl methacrylate resin of a thickness in the order of approximately from three to iive inches for removing from the beam ultra-violet radiations and infra-red radiations of Wave lengths approximately from 7600 A. U. to 12,000 A. U. while transmitting the visible radiations to the patient or target, and the other lter .consisting ofacell containing a liquid filtering medium arranged between the resin lter and the emitting end-of the lamp'for removing from the beam radiations of wave lengths of approximately 12,000 A. U. and longer which would destructively affect the resin lter. 2. `The lter system of claim 1 in which lthe liquid ltering medium is a liquid ofV the Vclass consisting of glycerol and ethylene glycol.

3. The filter system ofclaim l Vin which' the depth of the liquid filtering medium 'is approximately three centimeters.

4. 'The filter system of claim 1 in `which. the

5 liquid; iiltering medium is a liquid of the class consisting of glycerol and ethylene glycol and has a depth 'of approximatelythree centimeters.

EDWARD W. 

